Coupler height adjusting means



Nov. .19, 1935. c. R. BUSCH 2,021,285

COUPLER HEIGHT ADJUSTING MEANS Filed May 29, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN T 0H 62/921555 5050/,

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ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 19, 1935 D STATE COUPLER HEIGHT AEDJUSTING P/KEANS Application May 29, 1933, Serial No. 673,336

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to means for adjusting the coupler height in railway car trucks; that is to means enabling the height of certain parts of acar truck to be adjusted to that required for enabling the perfect engagement of the car couplers, which adjustment also raises the car-truck spring cluster or nest upon which the truck bolster is cushioned and supported. At present more or less make-shift means are employed for such purpose with a view to raising the car body and truck and body bolsters so that the couplers will be at the proper height, particularly after the car body and truck parts have taken a permanent set due to the settling of the parts and to wear after more or less service use of a car.

The present invention includes a special construction of coupler-height adjusting plate as an article of manufacture and also to a combination of parts including such a plate supported on the spring plank.

An object of the present invention is to raise the car body and the bolsters at one operation but to eliminate the necessity of further adjustments at the side bearing or center plate or 0011-.

pler plate.

Specific objects of the present invention are to provide a coupler-height adjusting plate which shall have the maximum strength, together with light weight and more or less flexibility. Flexibility or pliability is desirable in such a plate when it is applied to a car-truck after the car has seen considerable service and wear, with the object that the plate will set itself without fracture.

With these and other objects in View as will appear herefrorn, the invention consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein Fig. 1 is .a transverse section through a portion of a car-truck, the section being coincident with the line l-l indicated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. l, the side frame of the car-truck being broken away at the ends;

Fig. 3 is a top plan of the improved couplerheight adjusting plate;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4, Fig. 3, showing also in section the spring plank of the truck and the bottom plate of the spring nest or cluster; and

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 55, Fig. 3, showing also in corresponding section the same ii, and a truck bolster it, one end of which is received in an aperture 53 in the side frame it, as is customary.

The springs for cushioning and supporting a truck bolster are in practice used in various forms and combinations, but and 2 illusl5 trate a form which is ordinarily employed, residing in a spring nest or cluster is. This nest includes thin sheet metal cap plates it between which the springs ii are arranged in proper manner, the plates it), it being tied together by an upright rod it in such way to permit the depression or" the springs. l and 2 merely indicate the bars of larger springs ill, although the bars lla of smaller interior springs,

one within each of the larger springs, may be sun ployed as illustrated in broken iines in Fig. 5.

The thin metal cap plates it are provided respectively with central bu" s it, .29 of dome shape which are 131's... ted i one towards the other. Inasmuch as the movably fitted to the lower bulge or spring plate ii the rod it is moved downwardly when subjected to a load, and it is customary to provide an opening in the spring plank and the tie-rod i8 is loosely and side frame of the car-truck to permit the n-eces sary downward movement of the tie-rod it. There are shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the customary downward teats 22 formed on the bottom spring plate l6, and these are usually tapered to provide means for centering the spring nest or cluster. Furthermore, necks or collars 23 are usually provided to enter the lower convolutions of the springs.

The coupler-height adjusting plate it or" the present invention is composed of metal and may be made of malleable steel to obtain more or less flexibility or pliability in the plate, which is so constructed as to enable desirable advantage to be taken thereof. Adjusting plate 23 includes a main flat body 25 which forms the top supporting portion of the plate, upon which the spring nest 5O rests. The flat body 25 has formed integrally therewith suitable supporting elements which are so constructed and arranged that the bottom of the adjusting plate at is formed with many recesses or cells, not only to make the adjusting plate light in weight when maximum strength is considered, but to enable advantage to be taken of the flexibility or pliability of the plate when in use.

To the desired end the flat body 25 is provided with a border rib 2 3 which preferably extends continuously at the edge of the body 25. The outline of the adjusting plate 24 may be as desired, but preferably as shown in Fig. 3. The cellular bottom construction of the plate 24 also includes an annular rib 21 at the center of the plate, so as to register with the bulge 28 at the bottom of the spring nest and to permit the tierod !8 to have the necessary vertical play. The drawings show the use of four large springs I? as a typical example of the number of springs in a spring nest, and to correspond therewith the adjusting plate 2 is shown as formed with four continuous annular ribs 23, one in each of the four corner portions of the adjusting plate. Within each of the annular ribs 28 there is a concentric annular rib 29 which corresponds: with the ultimate position above it of smaller springs Ila, in case they are used. The positions of the springs l1, Ha is indicated in broken lines in Fig. 5.

Inasmuch as the bottom plate [6 of the spring nest I4 is usually formed with the pair of teats 22 before mentioned, the adjusting plate 24 is provided with a pair of studs 38 to correspond with such teats. The spring plank II is formed with holes 3| to permitentry of the tapered 10wer ends of the studs 3h, whereby to center the adjusting plate 24 upon the bottom of the spring plank, and to obtain sueh position of tapering sockets 32, above the studs 30, as to permit the entering of the teats 22 into the sockets 32 to center the spring nest upon the adjusting plate 24, as more fully shown in Fig. 4.

The corners of the adjusting plate 24 are provided with upward shoulders or flanges 33 which are reinforced by vertical ribs 34, which extend along the border rib 25 before mentioned. These shoulders 33 act to confine the spring nest between them, when the nest is supported on the adjusting plate.

The flat main body 25 of the adjusting plate is provided with holes 35 which correspond in number with the necks 23 of the bottom plate it of the spring nest. The bottom of the adjusting plate also preferably provided with radial or spokelike ribs 36 which connect the inner and outer annular ribs 2! 28 with each other, while other spoke-like ribs 3'? connect the annular ribs 28 with the border rib 28. Likewise ribs 33 connect the annular central rib 2'5 with the annular ribs 28, while ribs 39 connect the annular ribs: 28.

By the construction described it will be seen that a coupling-height adjusting plate is provided which has the metal so distributed therein as to provide a cellular or spider-like bottom construction, giving a maximum strength and the desired height to the adjusting plate. The centering studs 3c of the adjusting plate extend a. distance below the supporting elements of the plate, which elements preferably all lie in the same horizontal plane parallel with the plane of the fiat main body 25 of the adjusting plate.

When the parts of the car-truck are all assembled with the improved coupler-height adjusting plate in position, the spring nest will be supported by the adjusting plate in its proper relation to the other parts, and the spring nest will be confined by the upward shoulders 33. It is intended that these adjusting plates be supplied to the railroad company in various thicknesses to meet its required needs.

Obviously the invention as shown and described is capable of more or less modification without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new is:

1. A coupler-height adjusting plate having spaced supporting elements, the plate being of flexible metal so distributed throughout the plate that the under surfaces of such elements all lie in one plane, and centering means on the bottom of the plate having a depth greater than the supporting elements for centering the plate on a spring plank before and after the supporting elements rest on the spring plank.

2. A coupler-height adjusting plate, including a main fiat body having spaced bottom ribs, of which the ribs 28 are annular and are located in such positions around the center of the plate as to receive the direct downward pressure of the bolster cushioning springs which are to be ultimately supported by the plate, and to correspond in number and substantially in diameter with such springs, while other ribs of such spaced bottom ribs are located between and around the so formed and located ribs 28, whereby to provide a 1 maximum amount of support for the plate.

3. A coupler-height adjusting plate, including a pair of bottom centering studs and a plurality of spaced supporting elements also on the bottom and arranged about the studs, one of the supporting elements being annular and located at the approximate center of the plate, andthe studs of the pair located out from diametrically opposite sides of the annular element, there being sockets in the plate at points above the studs, and the studs extending below such elements. CHARLES R. BUSCH. 

